Cat Walkers??

No use in gambling
with his life by having him wander unsupervised outside-where he could get
run
over, mauled/killed by a dog/wild animal, etc.


But walking a cat in a harness on a leash is *not* unsupervised, obviously. I'm
sorry your cat escaped the harness, but that was the fault of the harness and
perhaps too an insufficient introduction time to the outdoors. Harnesses like
the Walking Jacket (for example) are almost impossible to escape; one needs to
choose a type of harness (and fit) that will prevent the cat's wriggling out of
it. Also, if the cat is an adult and has not had outdoor exposure, it's
important to begin outdoor excursions in a relatively safe and quiet area, so
that he/she is not spooked.

Our cats are ages 6 and 7 and are so accustomed by now to walks in the
neighborhood that even a loud motorcycle or a car backfiring do not faze them,
but it's because over time they have become used to city sounds. And of course,
we are vigilant when walking the cats on the sidewalk in front of our house;
when we spy a big dog being walked on the next block and heading our way, we
give the signal to our cats that it's time to head back into our backyard,
which is fenced.

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message ...
"James W" wrote in message
...
Hello Friendly Feline Folk!

I have a two year old balinese cat and she REALLY is curious about the
great
outdoors..Problem being she has never been outside so I'm flirting with
the
idea of buying a harness and 'trying' to take her on some strolls

My questions a
Does anyone do this?
What should I do or not do?
What are your experiences?

The breeder I got Jackson from said she could be trained to take walks but
I'm
a little leery

any advice, experiences and comments are much appreciated!

Thanks,
James

me lika da groova
my cdr list: www.phishhook.com/lists/JWBear


I had one cat that I trained to walk on a harness. He had been an outdoor
cat when I adopted him. I was a graduate student at the time and lived in a
city apartment located on the corner of two fairly busy streets. He trained
readily to the harness, and we would go for walks almost every day -- but he
took me where he wanted to go, not the reverse.

I have only seen a cat being walked on a harness once and it was just
hilarious. Some guy who lived across the lot from me at the
apartments where I lived took his cat out on a harness with a pretty
long leash. In this complex you saw people walking dogs constantly,
and the dogs always walked along the sidewalk or the side of the road
along with their owners. This guy's cat just acted like he was
walking outside with no harness. Walking in meandering paths, stop,
sniff, sit, change direction, cut across the grass, etc. The polar
opposite of the way I had seen people walk dogs. Of course, walking by
itself a cat wants to go places like behind the bushes planted next to
a building (cause it smells so neat back there!) and this guy's cat
kept trying to go places like that. The guy kept following the cat
around places like the sides of the buildings, frequently intervening
to keep the cat from going into places where the leash would get
tangled.

Finally, the guy decided that the walk was over. He was near the
sidewalk that lead to his unit and he started walking that way. The
cat had no intention of ending the adventure and started walking in
another direction on the top log of a soil retaining wall. The guy
just gave up trying to persuade his cat that the walk was over, picked
him up and carried him back in.

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message ...
"James W" wrote in message
...
Hello Friendly Feline Folk!

I have a two year old balinese cat and she REALLY is curious about the
great
outdoors..Problem being she has never been outside so I'm flirting with
the
idea of buying a harness and 'trying' to take her on some strolls

My questions a
Does anyone do this?
What should I do or not do?
What are your experiences?

The breeder I got Jackson from said she could be trained to take walks but
I'm
a little leery

any advice, experiences and comments are much appreciated!

Thanks,
James

me lika da groova
my cdr list: www.phishhook.com/lists/JWBear


I had one cat that I trained to walk on a harness. He had been an outdoor
cat when I adopted him. I was a graduate student at the time and lived in a
city apartment located on the corner of two fairly busy streets. He trained
readily to the harness, and we would go for walks almost every day -- but he
took me where he wanted to go, not the reverse.

I have only seen a cat being walked on a harness once and it was just
hilarious. Some guy who lived across the lot from me at the
apartments where I lived took his cat out on a harness with a pretty
long leash. In this complex you saw people walking dogs constantly,
and the dogs always walked along the sidewalk or the side of the road
along with their owners. This guy's cat just acted like he was
walking outside with no harness. Walking in meandering paths, stop,
sniff, sit, change direction, cut across the grass, etc. The polar
opposite of the way I had seen people walk dogs. Of course, walking by
itself a cat wants to go places like behind the bushes planted next to
a building (cause it smells so neat back there!) and this guy's cat
kept trying to go places like that. The guy kept following the cat
around places like the sides of the buildings, frequently intervening
to keep the cat from going into places where the leash would get
tangled.

Finally, the guy decided that the walk was over. He was near the
sidewalk that lead to his unit and he started walking that way. The
cat had no intention of ending the adventure and started walking in
another direction on the top log of a soil retaining wall. The guy
just gave up trying to persuade his cat that the walk was over, picked
him up and carried him back in.

"Napoleon" wrote in message
om...


Finally, the guy decided that the walk was over. He was near the
sidewalk that lead to his unit and he started walking that way. The
cat had no intention of ending the adventure and started walking in
another direction on the top log of a soil retaining wall. The guy
just gave up trying to persuade his cat that the walk was over, picked
him up and carried him back in.

I let my cat walk me, for the most part, but she actually follows my lead
when I do the walking. I've never had a problem with her not following me
if I wanted to go in a different direction, even if she was interested in
something else (a bird, a bug, whatever). She's very good that way. I
think her previous owners (who were pricks for letting her go
stray--especially during a harsh prairie winter) must have trained her, or
perhaps she's just a very good cat.

rona

--
"Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and they will
**** upon your computer."
--Bruce Graham

"Napoleon" wrote in message
om...


Finally, the guy decided that the walk was over. He was near the
sidewalk that lead to his unit and he started walking that way. The
cat had no intention of ending the adventure and started walking in
another direction on the top log of a soil retaining wall. The guy
just gave up trying to persuade his cat that the walk was over, picked
him up and carried him back in.

I let my cat walk me, for the most part, but she actually follows my lead
when I do the walking. I've never had a problem with her not following me
if I wanted to go in a different direction, even if she was interested in
something else (a bird, a bug, whatever). She's very good that way. I
think her previous owners (who were pricks for letting her go
stray--especially during a harsh prairie winter) must have trained her, or
perhaps she's just a very good cat.

rona

--
"Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and they will
**** upon your computer."
--Bruce Graham